PORT TOWNSEND — A committee charged with developing a strategy for the development of a joint city/county metropolitan park district will be considered for approval by the Jefferson County commissioners and the Port Townsend City Council at separate meetings today.
The joint resolution creates the nine-member committee, letting it meet on an official basis and develop how, or if, a joint park district is feasible for East Jefferson County.
Public participation will be an important component in the process, said Kathleen Kler of Quilcene, who has been suggested to serve as the committee’s co-chair with Cammy Brown, a nonprofit service provider of the Port Hadlock-Tri-Area area.
“We need to hear from the public,” said Kler, who is on the Exploratory Regional Parks and Recreation Committee and Jefferson County Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
“We need to hear what their priorities are . . . and what they are willing to pay for.”
The county commissioners will discuss the resolution at their regular meeting at
9 a.m. today in chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St.
The City Council, which meets at 6:30 p.m. tonight at 540 Water St., is expected to approve the resolution without discussion as it is on the consent agenda.
A proposal for a joint district could appear on a ballot this year for consideration by Jefferson County voters.
Kler said the process is a few months behind schedule.
“Our dream was to have this on the ballot in November,” Kler said.
“With all the planning and public meetings we need to schedule, we’ll be really lucky to make that deadline.”
The board of a metropolitan parks district, which would be a junior taxing district, would have the authority to levy up to 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $187.50 annually for a house valued at $250,000.
In November 2010, voters approved Proposition 1, which raised the sales tax in Jefferson County 0.03 percent to finance public safety and youth and senior services.
Under the law, the city was to receive 40 percent of the new revenue.
It committed half of that amount — estimated at $212,000 — through 2015 to support two county facilities within the city limit: the Port Townsend Community Center, a recreation center at 620 Tyler St., and Memorial Field, 550 Washington St.
Parks and recreation has lost funding and support during the recession, forcing both agencies to seek alternative funding sources.
Kler said that the new committee has “an unbelievable amount of work” to do before making a recommendation.
The committee will explore funding sources and conduct public meetings.
Kler said she expects the committee members will talk to “all the big players” who are concerned with parks and recreation, including the schools, the YMCA and other stakeholders.
Some of the decisions that will be made by the committee is the area of a proposed park district, the amount of proposed property tax increase for its funding and the operation of the new agency.
Kler said that the committee doesn’t have a lot of restrictions, other than not including Brinnon and Coyle which already have parks districts in place.
Other members of the committee, who were chosen either for their geographical location or area of expertise are Garth McHattie of Marrowstone Island, chairman of the Jefferson County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; Rich Stapf of the Quimper Peninsula, who serves on both panels; Mike Zimmerman of Marrowstone Island, a parks professional; Herb Cook, a nonprofit service provider of the Gardiner-Discovery Bay area; Mike Evans of Kala Point, who is involved in sports leagues; park facilities volunteers Doug Hubert of Port Ludlow and Susie Learned of Port Hadlock; Jeff Randall of Port Townsend, who is interested in the public pool; and Rosemary Sikes of the Audubon Society.
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
